Day 1 - Arrive Datong

This morning you will be transferred to the Beijing Train Station where you board your high-speed train to Datong, once the capital of China’s Northern Wei dynasty (286 – 494) and today a wonderful treasure trove of the past.  

Arrive by lunch time and this afternoon, following lunch, visit the Yungang Grottoes, one of the three great Buddhist cave sites of China (the other two being the Mogao Caves near Dunhuang, Gansu province and the Longmen Buddhist Grottoes in Henan province). The Yungang caves represent the zenith of Northern Wei sculpture and include 252 grottoes with more than 51,000 Buddhist sculptures of varying size. 

Board an early morning flight to Datong, the second largest city in Shanxi Province, located in a basin at an elevation of 3,410 feet and bordering Inner Mongolia to the north and west and Hebei to the east. Upon arrival, explore the Yungang Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the four most famous grottoes in China.

The caves contain Buddhist sculptures from the fifth and sixth centuries and the site is composed of 252 grottoes with more than 51,000 Buddha statues. The statues and murals are wonderful guide to the art, philosophy and cultural traditions of the Northern Wei period which is considered to be an important conduit by which Buddhism was able to spread throughout China.

End the day with visits to the Jiulongbi, the Nine-Dragon Screen an exquisite Ming dynasty wall of enameled bricks on which are nine magnificent imperial dragons, symbols of imperial power. You will also walk the ancient city walls and visit the Shanhua Temple which dates from the Liao dynasty (907 – 1125) and is one of the oldest standing Buddhist temples in northern China.

Overnight: Holiday Inn, Datong

Meal Plan: B,L,D

Day 2 - Datong – Taiyuan - Pingyao

This morning depart Datong and travel overland to Pingyao (the road distance is 382 kilometres or 237 miles and the travel time is about 4 Hours, 30 minutes).  Stop to visit the Xuankongsi or Hanging Temple, an architectural marvel considered to be one of the 10 most difficult building constructions in world history. This Northern Wei period temple (386 – 494) is built into the sheer cliff face of Mount Hengshan one of the five sacred Daoist mountains of China) and appears, from the distance, to hanging in the air. 

The temple is notable not only for its precarious location but also because it is the only existing temple in all of China where all three religious philosophies are together: Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism. The  images of the Buddha, Confucius and Laozi (founder of Daoism) are displayed together in the temple’s, “Hall of Three Religions”.

Continuing south to Pingyao you will pass a section of the Great Wall built during the Ming dynasty (1368 – 1644) – in total 1,497 kilometres or 930 miles of the Wall are found in Shanxi.

Late this afternoon you arrive at the ancient city walls of Pingyao – here you disembark and are driven into the old city by an electric cart to your charming hotel, considered one of China’s most charming boutique properties.

Overnight: Jing’s Residence

Meal Plan: B,L

Day 3 - Pingyao

This morning set off with your guide and immerse yourself in the antiquity of Pingyao. Moving about by electric buggy and on foot visit the highlights of old Pingyao that attest to its great history. Climb the north entrance of the city wall and walk along the ramparts while learning about the influences that feng shui and Daoism played on the design of the wall. Continue on and visit the Rishengchang, the first bank and securities company in China, the Daoist temple, the Confucius temple, the Yamen’s Compound where the city courts and jails were located and end the day with a walk along Ming/Qing street, the commercial heart of Pingyao. Here you can take part in a private paper cutting class led by a master artist.

This evening attend a performance of “Youjian Pingyao” a sound and light show that utilizes the city’s ancient architecture to a stunning effect.

Overnight: Jing's Residence

Meal Plan: B,L

Day 4 - Depart Pingyao

This morning visit the Wang Family Courtyard, a luxurious residence built during 1762-1811 by the descendants of the Wang Family.  This is one of the best preserved examples of a Qing period clan compound. The compound covers an area of 150 square metres (1,615 square feet) set within 54 courtyards and over 1,000 rooms. The architecture of the courtyard has a magnificent scale with five alleys, five forts, and five ancestral temples.

This afternoon you will be transferred to the Pingyao Ancient City High-Speed Train Station where you will board your onward train to either Beijing or Xian. 

Meal Plan: B